New sponsor NPP for CPO

Nordic Pulp and Paper (NPP) helped support last weekâ€™s fantastic Homage to Sibelius. We are delighted to welcome a new partner to the CPO family. Says Goran Palmgren, chairman of NPP: â€œAs Finns, we were very pleased to participate in the Homage to Sibelius 150 concert. Sibelius is an icon in Finnish music and contemporary world-renowned Finnish conductors like Saraste, Salonen, Segerstam, Kamu, Oramo, VÃ¤nskÃ¤ are inspired by him and draw on his legacy. Finlandia touches our heart and spine and reminds us of our heritage and Finnish nature which is very close to us all." Thank you, NPP!

New Concerto at this week's Concert!

FOM hands over instruments

The Friends of Orchestral Music are having instruments restored for the use of CPYO musicians. Here Derek Auret, chairman of FOM, hands two violins to Matthew Andrews, CPO intern and manager of the CPY Wind Ensemble.

David Earl to premiere opera in the UK

Composer and pianist and soloist with the CPO has written a full-length opera to mark the centenary of Rupert Brooke's death in 1915. There will be three performances on December 11, 12 and 13 at the 200-year-old Festival Theatre, now part of The Cambridge Buddhist Centre, if you are in the UK or have friends there. More information www.RupertBrookeOpera.com

Kirstenbosch concert's Lukanyo Moyake wins German competition

Cape Town singers are on a rollâ€¦the latest to win a big prize in a top international competition is the CPOâ€™s 2016 Kirstenbosch soloist Lukhanyo Moyake, who, along with Bongiwe Nakani, took bronze prizes in the celebrated Neue Stimmen (new voices) competition in Germany. Moyake will be joined by soprano Goitsemang Lehobye in the Kirstenbosch concert in February, while he and Ms Nakani will sing in CTOâ€™s Maria Stuarda this weekend at Artscape. All credit to Kamal Khan, whose commitment to young singers at UCT is legendary. Khan will conduct the CPO in the 35th Belvedere Singing Competition which will be held in Cape Town next July.

Natalia Lavrova to play Shostakovich

Shostakovichâ€™s coupling of piano and trumpet in a concerto is inspired, and the concerto will be played in this weekâ€™s CPO concert by Natalia Lavova (read here what the Cape Times said) and the CPOâ€™s principal trumpet, David Thompson. There are still some tickets left -- and you can hear how she wowed both the Concert Series and La Motte audiences with her recital with duo partner Vassily Primakov.

Maria Kliegel to play Bloch and Bruch

The final concert of this season (FOM gala on November 19 with Antonio Pompa-Baldi aside) will feature the German cellist Maria Kliegel. Ms Kliegel has long been a friend of South Africa, having first visited here nearly 20 years ago. Her first concert with the CTPO was to honour CTPO patron Govan Mbeki, and after that Mr Mbeki arranged for her to visit Nelson Mandela at his home to play a little of a piece she had commissioned for him. The atmosphere was magical â€“ and he listened to her so intently and was most gracious in his praise. A few tickets are still available for this concert at Computicket. She will also be giving a master class for cellists of the CPYO.

FOM Gala November 19

Antonio Pompa-Baldi must be one of the busiest musicians on the planet. His schedule from November 12 speaks for itself: He plays a recital and gives and a masterclass in Ohio before flying to Florida to play the Brahms Second, the same work we are going to be privileged to hear on November 19.
On November 13 he leaves for China for the China International Piano Competition festival, where he will play a recital and give daily masterclasses. A week later, he is off to an island called Gulangyu to play in an "Italian Music Weekâ€ he put together. He will be joined there by his wife Emanuela who will play piano 4-hands with him. He will also give four more recitals while there.
We are lucky to have have him here with us. Tickets for the FOM gala, conducted by Bernhard Gueller, who also leaves the next day, for a concert in Milan, are available from Computicket. Only members of the Friends receive a discount on ticket prices and are invited to the after-concert party. New members wonâ€™t be able to sign up on the night. Contact FOM now to sign up www.fomct.com

Thank you, Ronnie Samaai

Ash-Lee Louwskieter and Tembisa Ntshongontshi with Ronnie Samaai

On November 12, the CPO will dedicate the concert to board member to board member and renowned music educator Ronnie Samaai for his major contribution to education and outreach over many decades.
Mr Samaai has been a music educator his entire professional life, having been awarded licentiates from, for instance, the Royal Schools of Music and Trinity College, London. He became a Fellow of Trinity College, earned his BMus from UNISA, and studied further at Trinity College on a scholarship from the British Council, a turning point which made him dedicate his life to giving South Africaâ€™s young children a start in music. He taught for nearly 40 years, retiring in 1996 as vice-rector of the Bellville College of Education, and has been involved in projects such as the Western Cape Music Education Project in Kuilâ€™s River. Read more about what some of his students say about him here.

CPY Wind Ensemble in huge wind band concert

For the first time in Cape Town, all the major wind band role players will participate in one concert when The Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Wind Ensemble (CPYWE), conducted by Faan Malan, will perform the opening numbers at the WindWorx Symphonic Wind Ensemble concert on November 13 at 19:30 at the City Hall. Works they will play are the March from Gustav Holstâ€™s â€œMooreside Suiteâ€ and â€œEine Kleine Yiddishe Ragmusikâ€ by Adam Gorb, Sean Kierman, for many years conductor of the CPYWE, will conduct the performance in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Windworx band. Also in the concert will be the Stadskoor Tygerberg, conducted by Linda Claassen, who will also perform on the City Hallâ€™s grand organ; Allan Stephenson will direct the WindWorx ensemble in a performance of his own composition, Youth Concerto for Trombone, with Ryan Kierman on trombone. Other works on the programme include pieces by Bach, Alfred Reed, Verdi, Handel, Ola Gjeilo, Lloyd Webber and John Williams.
WindWorx is the home to which musicians from the CPYWE can graduate. It was founded in 2005 to provide a platform for professional and semi-professional musicians to perform the crÃ¨me de la crÃ¨me of wind band music.
Tickets are R60 and R30 (students) and are available at the door or by phoning 082-88-77-442 or by emailing fanfare@windworx.co.za

Richard Wagner Society cello recital with Eddie McLean

Eddie McLean, sub-principal cellist with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, will present a recital for members of the Richard Wagner Society and friends on Sunday, November 29, at 6.00 for 6:30 pm at 37 Kingsgate, 301 Beach Road, Sea Point.
McLean, who will be accompanied by pianist Simon Louw, will play Sonata for Cello and Piano, Opus 6 by Richard Strauss, and Arpeggione Sonata in A minor, D 821 by Schubert. He will also play the Sonata for Solo Cello, Opus 25, no 3, by Hindemith.
Tickets for this recital, with wine and snacks, are R220 for members and R240 for guests. To make a booking, contact jillycohen@absamail.co.za or 082 459 6225

CPYO for Nederburg Picnic Pops

Donâ€™t miss the CPYO, under the direction of Brandon Phillips, at the Nederburg Picnic Pops concert on November 21. The celebration of symphonic pop, jazz, rock and classics includes rock star Arno Carstens as well as award-winning soprano Goitsemang Lehobye and tenor Lukhanyo Moyake who are also the CPOâ€™s Kirstenbosch stars in February. The concert is presented by the Distell Foundation in association with Nederburg Wines.
Tickets at only R100 per person are now available at www.webtickets.co.za. Children 12 and under enjoy free entrance.

Anele Mhlahlo helps with fast tracking

Five young Masidlale musicians have been chosen to play in the CPY junior winds ensembleâ€¦and the person responsible for fast-tracking them so they move up to the CPYO itself as soon as possible is Anele Mhlahlo. Here he is seen at a Heritage Day concert in Gugulethu in September with the Masidlale learners (with teacher Tembisa Ntshongontshi (back, second right). About the fast-tracking, Anele says: "I donâ€™t feel I am doing much work! Just by concentrating on these talented youngsters makes them persevere and challenge themselves to do better and better."
They are already prospering.

Siyathemba Nteta: new bow repairer in Cape Town

CPYO violinist and Masidlale teacher Siyathemba Nteta returned from Nieuw Bethesda with a new skill â€“ he is now a bow repairer. Siyathemba was taken under the wing of bowmaker Charl du Toit and taught all there is to know about bow repairs. Siya said it was hard work â€“ having already learned something about repairing violins, he thought repairing bows would be a breeze and was shocked to see how hard it is! â€œWhen something didnâ€™t go right, I worked at it until it was perfect before I would move on.â€ Siya says he also had a lot of fun. For Charl du Toit, Siya was a pleasure to teach. â€œOf all those I have taught to repair bows, Siya not only has the aptitude but the right temperament.â€ Go Siya! From Masidlaleâ€™s bows to the stars!

Winner of Kliegel recital tickets

Subscriptions burgeoned for the spring season and we are delighted to welcome another 100 newcomers. Itâ€™s wonderful to see this increase and interest. The winner of the tickets to the Maria Kliegel Cape Town Concert Series recital on November 14 at the Baxter Concert Hall is Mrs LM Reyburn. We hope you enjoy hearing the recital, in which Ms Kliegel will be accompanied by Albie van Schalkwyk!